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Pat Cannon has won his share of races at Selinsgrove Speedway over the last few years. It will be interesting to see how he fares if he decides to run full-time in the 360 Sprint Car division. (Jeremy Elliott photo)

It's not easy separating yourself from an influential pack and going against the grain to do something different.

There is almost always a backlash. Skepticism turns into criticism and morphs into becoming the subject of ridicule.

I don't think that will be the case for Selinsgrove Speedway. Although, it might not seem that way at first.

Track promoter Charlie Paige decided at the end of last season that he was going to scrap the 358 Sprint Car program and switch over to the 360 Sprint Car class that has become popular in the Midwest.

Teams will still be allowed to run their 358 Sprint equipment this season, but there could be a gap in competitiveness with the more powerful 360s.

That's one reason this could be a dicey move. Lincoln and, more notably, Williams Grove are continuing to support the 358 Sprint division, which could mean teams are going to have to make a choice.

“It was a move that we have been contemplating for five years now,” Paige said. “More and more drivers kept wanting it to happen.

“Most of the drivers are embracing it in a positive way. It took a while to get the courage up to make the move but with the economy the way it is, now is the right time.”

Added Paige, “It's going to save the teams some money. The heads the 358s are running have gotten out of control and sill remain out of control. The ASCS head is more affordable and more repairable.”

According to one owner, who wanted to remain anonymous, the move won't save money initially because of the changeover.

But in the long run, longevity will equal dollars and cents in the owner's pocket. The speck 360 head — URC stacks will be allowed — can be repaired many times over, while the 358s are junk once they blow up and have to be replaced at full cost.

“It's not going to save money right away,” Paige said. “But over the period of a couple years, it will save [teams] quite a bit.

“I'm hearing figures higher than $8,000 for 358 heads and the problem is, some teams were experimenting with a different set every week. One team had six or seven different heads to see what worked best.”

If that is the case, it's a practice that doesn't make sense considering what the winner of a 358 Sprint race makes in this area.

Lincoln and Williams Grove paid $1,000 to win a year ago. Selinsgrove winners took a $1,500 first-place check. If a team was spending in excess of $32,000 to race for that much money on a given night, they are crazy.

As for Paige and Selinsgrove, making the switch was a no brainer.

The 358 Sprint Car class ran its course at the Snyder County oval. Car counts were starting to drop and a spark was needed.

But Paige was smart. He inked the United Racing Club (URC) for six shows, the Empire Sprint Series (ESS) and the Patriot Series to boost car counts.

He also raised the winner's share to $2,000 to not only keep drivers but try and draw URC and ESS guys when they have a Saturday night off.

“I have a lot bigger area to draw cars now,” Paige said. “With the 358s, I had Lincoln. It was basically, Lincoln, Williams Grove and us on an island.

“Now, I have groups all over New York, Ohio and New Jersey. If I gain a car every once and a while, I think it will do rather well.”

I'm not saying this is going to be home run. There are still a lot of variables to consider before this proposition is a full-blown success.

Word is that only one driver is jumping ship to Lincoln. We will see when Selinsgrove hosts its first 360 race this weekend.

The Mach 1 358/260 Nationals at the end of the season pays $10,000. This could be huge if American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) drivers show up. Get in bed with that group, and all problems may be solved.

The X-factor is Paige. His lease is soon due to expire, which could throw everything in a tizzy if a new promoter comes in and wants more changes.

But for now, we are on board. I'm partial to the 360 class, and this is a move that has the potential for success.